Section Hikers Backpacking Blog Hiking and Backpacking for Beginners and Experts 
More and more backpackers are switching from sleeping bags to backpacking quilts because they’re lighter weight, more compressible, and more comfortable, especially for side sleepers. While top quilts have always been popular with the hammock crowd because they’re easier to use in the confined space of a hammock, they’re also a great sleeping system option for ground sleepers, when coupled with a sleeping pad. Backpacking quilts are ideal for summer and warm weather since they’re so easy to vent if you’re too hot. But in freezing temperatures, starting at 30 degrees and below, most backpackers still prefer a sleeping bag because the wraparound fabric is less drafty.
Here are our choices for the top 10 best backpacking quilts based on price, insulation, temperature rating, weight, features, versatility, sizing, and availability (see below for detailed explanations of each criteria.) All of these quilts are made and sold by so-called cottage manufacturers, which range in size from one-man shops to medium-sized businesses that employee dozens of people. All of them produce very high quality products that are significantly lighter weight and better performing than the quilts produced by mass-market gear companies like ENO, Therm-a-Rest, Kammock, Sea-to-Summit, and Sierra Designs.
The advantage of buying a custom-made quilt from a cottage manufacturer is that you can personalize it with added features, higher quality/lighter weight insulation, or custom fabric colors. An increasing number of quilt makers also offer budget quilts made with a limited set of options that are much less expensive and often available immediately. These are a great option if you’re trying a backpacking quilt for the first time and overwhelmed by the customization choices available.
1. Katabatic Gear Flex Quilt
2. Hammock Gear Burrow Econ Quilt
3. Loco Libre Ghost Pepper
4. UGQ Outdoor Bandit
5. Jacks ‘R’ Better Sierra Sniveller
6. Enlightened Equipment Revelation
7. Warbonnet Mamba
8. Nunatak Arc UL
9. Zpacks Solo Quilt
10. MassDrop Revelation Quilts
Backpacking Quilt Selection Criteria
Here is a list of factors to consider when selecting an ultralight backpacking quilt.
INSULATION: High quality goose and duck down with fill powers of 800, 850, 900, and 950 provide excellent insulation by weight and are widely preferred by backpackers because they’re so lightweight. In addition to excellent compressibility, quilts insulated with down will last for decades of use if properly cared for. Some manufacturers only offer down that’s been treated with a water-repellent coating, while others prefer to offer it unadulterated. Down is naturally water-resistant so the jury is still out on whether “treated” down lasts as long and insulates as well in the real world vs. a testing lab. Regardless, with a little care and common sense you can keep a down quilt dry by carrying it in a waterproof stuff stack, picking good campsites that don’t flood in rain, and airing it out occasionally in the sun.
TEMPERATURE RATINGS: The introduction of standardized sleeping bag temperature ratings by the outdoor industry substantially improved their reliability. Many manufacturers had overstated their temperature ratings by as much as 10 degrees before that standard was introduced. No such testing standard exists for backpacking quilts, so you’re forced to rely on their reputation and customer reviews. When buying a backpacking quilt, the current rule of thumb is to purchase one rated for 10 degrees below your needs to ensure you’ll be warm enough. There is enormous incentive for ultralight quilt makers to quote low gear weights, so read their customer reviews carefully. Women may want to add 15-20 degrees of insulation because they sleep colder than men due to lower body mass. No one makes women’s specific quilts yet, although there is an obvious need for them.
WEIGHT: While gear weight is important, be careful not to sacrifice your comfort by selecting a quilt that won’t keep you warm in the conditions you need it to. In fact, insulation is usually the lightest weight component of a quilt, where the bulk of its weight comes primarily from the fabric used to make it. When choosing fabrics, consider their breathability and whether they have a DWR coating, which can be important if the foot of your quilt gets wet regularly If you plan on using your quilt heavily, consider getting a heavier inner shell fabric as this is where the greatest wear and tear occurs over the long-term.
FEATURES: Most ultralight backpacking quilts are pretty similar when it comes right down to it. But there’s something unique about each of manufacturer’s quilts listed above that improves their performance in a unique way. For example: the use of continuous or chevron-shaped baffles, draft collars, zoned insulation, closed foot-boxes and external snaps for quilt layering, all improve cold weather performance. A strapless pad attachment system is far more convenient and comfortable than ones that rely on straps, while a head-hole enables multi-use as a garment. Look for these differentiators because they can have a profound influence on your backpacking experience.
VERSATILITY: Some backpacking quilts can be used in a wider variety of ways than others, which may be an important factor based on the way you like to backpack. For example, quilts that can be fully unzipped can be used as a blanket in a wider range of temperatures that those with closed foot boxes. Wider width quilts can be used for hammocks and ground sleeping, something to consider if you plan on doing both.
SIZING: When sizing a quilt, it’s important to understand whether the length includes the foot-box or not, since several inches of fabric are lost when forming a foot box. Quilt makers often provide recommended heights for users when quoting sizes, so look for these. Hammock users can usually get by with narrower quilts than ground sleepers, because they use underquilts which wrap around their sides and insulate them. Ground sleepers need the extra fabric and insulation to tuck under their sides to prevent drafts.
AVAILABILITY: Many of the quilt makers who specialize in highly customized quilts often have very long backorder times (2 months or more) during periods of high demand. If you need a quilt and can’t wait, you’re probably better off buying a less customized, off-the-shelf model. This one factor, more than any other, can often determine which quilt you select.
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- 10 Best Backpacking Sleeping Bags
- 10 Best Ultralight Backpacking Quilts
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There is no difference in warmth from duck down and goose down. However, geese are longer lived and larger birds, generally speaking. Duck down requires a bit more sorting to get a somewhat lower fill power down. Geese tend to produce more and larger down plumes than ducks do. So while you can get 800FP untreated duck down (treatment adds about 50FP) it is not suitable for higher fill powers from a manufacturing stand point (850-950FP.) Sort’a like buying clear knotless wood to do a job as opposed to common wood…you will buy 5 to 10 times as much to cut out only the clear parts of the wood for use. High fill (700-800FP) duck down will actually cost more to sort than the equivalent goose down. But, goose is in HIGH demand, which tends to drive the price higher. I use whatever the manufacturers prefer (!800-900FP) for my bags and quilts.
As with any rule of thumb, rules were meant to be broken. Ducks actually produce the *best* down. The Eider duck produces a fine 700FP-750FP down that many consider the best you can buy. It actually holds heat better than goose down, regardless of the fill power. Fill power only measures loft, NOT the actual insulating value of the down. Eider down is “clingy”, not slippery like goose down, meaning it will form a more even layer in a bag preventing cold spots/under filled areas. It is also more water proof than goose down, naturally. And each barbule on a plume is more springy making it compress/recover better. Why don’t I use it?? COST. The 16-18oz fill alone for a sleeping bag runs between $1000-6000. Beware of mixes and “Eider” brand names, they usually are not 100% premium eiderdown.
Also worth mentioning that there is a glut in the market for high fill power goose down (900 and 950), which explains major price drop for the high quality stuff.
The increase in supply is caused an increase in recycled down bedding.
I read somewhere that treated down deteriorates more quickly than untreated, especially when you wash it. Is there any truth to this?
Ask me in 15 years.
Smart Ass, but I hear ya. I’ll probably die before the quilt does.
Look at the vendors who don’t use treated down, offer it as an alternative, or used to offer it and switched back to selling the untreated stuff.
I was surprised to not see a Feathered Friends quilt make the list, especially the UL sleeping bag quilt. I’ve been thinking that would be an excellent addition to the gear closet, and enable me to ditch some other items – given how adaptable it is.
Feathered Friends doesn’t really make any quilts. I’d classify them as hoodless sleeping bags. They’ll be on another list, don’t you worry. I own and frequently use a FF Flicker 40 in a hammock and on the ground since its an excellent alternative to a quilt that preserves the draft-freeness of a full sleeping bag.
https://sectionhiker.com/feathered-friends-flicker-40-ul-quilt-sleeping-bag/
shocked FF didn’t make this list!
They don’t make any quilts!
I’m sorry, I was confused with the ff label.
Flicker 20 UL quilt sleeping bag, guess its both?
A quilt is backless and the flicker has a back, which means it’s a sleeping bag.
Feathered friends and other manufacturers call their quilts and sleeping bags “quilt sleeping bags” to fool search engines into listing them in search results. Unfortunately they make it confusing for consumers.
Another plus for a quilt is for extra warmth when combined with a traditional bag.
I don’t own a zero rated sleeping bag anymore. Instead, I have a 20 degree bag and a 20 degree quilt. Typically I use the quilt for most camping and then when it gets too cool (typically in the under 40 range) due to me moving and causing drafts, I’ll switch to the bag. Then, when it’s even colder (I’ve been down to near zero) I simply use the quilt over the sleeping bag and I’ve been plenty warm – even more so than my old 0 degree. The bulk isn’t much more than what a real 0 degree bag would be. Things like my phone can be placed in the zippered pocket on the outside of my sleeping bag and kept warm enough by the quilt.
Had a fun weekend last month with the Scouts on their annual Klondike and used the 2-layer system all weekend where the day temps struggled to reach 20 degrees. I slept fine in just a set of thermals
If I were to do more serious winter camping or do it more than the 1-2 weekends a year, I might invest in another serious cold weather bag, but I just don’t find a need.
For the record, I am using an EMS 20 degree bag that’s about 10 years old now. I’m going to be very sad when it needs replacing as it has a bunch of features that probably make it a bit heavier, but also make it very adaptive. Things like a removable hood, multiple draft cinches, a slightly wider body so I can turn easily on my side, and the previously mentioned pocket for keeping stuff like a phone, flashlight, etc handy.
My current quilt is an Enlightened Equipment Revelation that I’m going into my second year on. It’s significantly lighter than the previous quilt (mostly due to a higher quality down – 950 vs 650 – and a lighter fabric) It’s actually a bit unnerving at first at just how light this is. My previous quilt didn’t have a good foot enclosure which really does make a difference in cooler temps. Bought it wide to get less drafts. Love the compressability.
I have both the Nunatak ArcUL -7C(20F) and the EE Revelation -7C (20F) quilts. The EE quilt is definitely not as warm as the Nunatak- about 5C -6C difference I would say. I would now, after much use, not take the EE to more than 0C and I now would use the Nunatak for everything to the quoted -7C. If in doubt I would take the Nunatak. In coldish weather I sleep in thermals, socks and woollen beanie. The two quilts warmth is not the same. I believe EE has looked into this. I don’t blame EE for this as an EN rating I believe is impossible to attain for a quilt and I am used to the idea of LIMIT and COMFORT ratings as per the EN standard for sleeping bags. For me the “COMFORT” on the EE is about 0C and the Nunatak is well towards/close to -7C. I bought the Nunatak 6 months ago and the EE one year ago. Also the Nunatak exactly matches the promised width dimensions, the EE does not by several centimetres.
this is exactly what i needed to see! i am climbing kilimanjaro this fall and didn’t want to buy ANOTHER sleeping bag, but wondered if i could couple my 20deg bag with a quilt. thanks for the post.
I see EE has a 7d option now. Nice ! They also add more fill for the same temp rating. I guess too many cold complaints.
Once again, Phillip…out of the ballpark with this review! In preps for my AT thru hike — start about a month from now — i bought an EE Convert (I was still not sure if I could go full quilt, just yet). The troops at EE were outstanding (I dealt with both Jacob and Tyler). Additionally, I went custom…and while concerned with time delay in doing so, EE provided me my pseudo-quilt in about two weeks! Amazing service, amazing product. And again, thanks for this website, amigo!
Good choice. The Convert is a lot like the Feathered Friends Flicker 40 hoodless sleeping bag I use. It can be opened up like a quilt or used zipped up without the drafts that quilts can suffer from in cooler weather.
I’ve had a Katabatic Gear Palisdade quilt since 2014, rated to 30 degrees, and can’t say enough about how warm it is! Very comfortable down to freezing, and liveable down into the 20s. The company is great as well – last year one of the mitten clips broke and one of the other attachment clips was starting to feel loose, and they repaired it for free and I only had to pay shipping to get it to them. Great customer service. Well worth the investment.
I’ve had an Enlightened Equipment Revelation for a few years and love it. I recently picked up a Klymit Double V pad, and of course the pad straps that originally came with the EE Revelation won’t fit the double-sized pad.
I asked EE Customer Service what I could do. They asked for the dimensions of the Double-V, and custom-made a strap, and shipped it to me, for JUST $3.00. That was way beyond what I could have expected.
It’s refreshing for someone to place customer service ahead of revenue optimization.
You guys need to check out Zen Bivy….
It’s a sleeping bag and a pretty heavy one at that.
Phew — yup, when you have no evidence to support a claim like a manufacturer paying for favorable feedback, it is unfair and unwarranted to do so. I clearly said I would consider other quilt manufacturers in the future and I value this article for insight into brands and products I haven’t used. When I bought my quilt a resource like this wasn’t available and the quilt options have skyrocketed. Has my ZPacks quilt served me well, yes. If that simple commentary makes me a fanboy and a paid commentator, I think you need to take a step back — I simply want to speak up for a product that has worked for me. Just in case it wasn’t clear earlier – thank you for this article Philip!
How do rate the chevron style baffles on the loco libre ? I have a Hammock Gear with virtical baffles, and while I am a side sleeper the down seems to fall to the edges. I imagine the horizontal baffles suffer similar problems but in the other direction. I wonder what real world practice is really with the different baffle systems especially the chevron style?
You have to shake down pretty hard to move it inside a baffle…do you think you’re imagining it’s migration in your quilt? None of these design changes matter all that much unless you’re in subzero weather.
No, no imagination, you can see the down through the light coloured outer material, ever night I shack the quilt to even out the down. I think that may be Hammock Gear don’t fill the baffles with enough down, even though I paid for some over fill.
Did you consider the Outdoor Vitals Quilt? I really like mine. I have tried several others and the OV is my favorite.
I’ve got one of their products in my review pipeline.
Good.
I have wide shoulders. I have become a believer in the vertical baffles from the neck down to the knees or so. I am a side sleeper and many times I have woken to cold shoulders. The down had shifted, even with overfill, down off my shoulders leaving only two thin sheets of nylon to insulate me at the shoulder to elbow. Women have had this problems at the hips. Differential cut helps but not a cure. I have tried all of the best brands and they all have the same result. The verticle baffle in the EE and OV design reduces this significantly. Please discuss this issue in the 2019 report. It resolved a 50 year old frustration for me climbing many mountains or hiking winter trails.
Try the chevron baffles used by Loco Libre. They’re even better.
Worth noting, too, that Warbonnet is replacing the Mamba quilt with their newly announced Diamondback. Looks like a good design.
Thanks for your in-depth comprehensive research into backpacking quilts. I use cold weather sleeping bags for temps at 30 and below but became intrigued with quilts for warmer camping after reading your article. I plan to backpack primarily in the upper Midwest from mid-May to Mid October- some warm summer nights in the upper 60’s and spring-fall lows in the mid 30’s. What temp rating(s) quilt would you recommend assuming I open up the quilt on warm nights? Also, what are your favorite quilt/pad strap systems?
I’m grateful for your articles on ultralight backpacking, applying your learnings has greatly improved my enjoyment backing on 100+ mile hikes.
While I’ve used quilts down to about 10 degrees, I prefer using them in weather 35 degrees and up. (Below 20, I’m almost always in a mummy on the ground, except if I’m in a hammock, where I only use quilts.) Quilts are simply more drafty than a mummy bag, regardless of the strap system you use. If you need a quilt to take you down to 30 or below, I strongly recommend you get one with a draft collar. I also can’t overstate the importance of a sleeping pad with an R-value of at least 4. While you can fuss around with strap systems – they all do the same thing – you’re best defense against cold weather drafts is to use a lightweight bivy sack to block all side drafts. It also makes a good “bed sheet” when its too warm to use a quilt in summer. This may all sound terribly conservative and old school, but there are so many ways to save gear weight with modern UL gear, that there’s no reason to skimp on comfort and a good nights sleep. Back to you original question. I think a 40 degree quilt is probably the best multi-purpose temp for your needs, since you’re probably carrying some insulated clothing you can augment it with during shoulder seasons.
Thank you, Philip,
I agree with your recommendation of buying a 40 degree quilt, since I expect 80% of the camping nights this season will have temps ranging from 65 deg to 45 deg so I can wear extra layers during the colder, shoulder seasons.
I assume opening up the 40 deg quilt like a blanket and/or opening the foot box can help me regulate temperature even on warmer nights in the upper 60’s?
Also, I will be camping in a tent at night for most evenings so I will be protected from wind. Your eye for detail explaining the many attributes, benefits, weaknesses of the lightweight quilt offerings really helped me determine the best quilt for me. I look forward to a new, lighter weight season of camping with my “big 4” now under 5 lbs!!!
I will plan to use my warmer down sleeping bags for colder weather camping.
Exactly! Just flip the quilt aside like a blanket. A drawstring style foot box vent can help too, of course. Glad to help.
im looking to replace my mld synthetic 40 quilt(now a 60 2 yrs later, it kinda went flat). looking at an ff flicker 30 or 40. which would be better if I decide to do a thru hike of the AT?
Definitely a 30. The AT is cold at the north and south end, depending on when you start. You can open the flicker up like a blanket, so they’re no downside to getting a warmer one.